There’s an old sports adage that says defense wins championships. This certainly applied to Warsaw’s varsity girls basketball team Thursday night. Playing the Lowell Lady Red Devils in the championship game of the Teachers Credit Union Lady Tiger Classic, Warsaw’s defense paved the way to a convincing 57-33 win. The Lady Tigers, who advanced to the title tilt with a 54-21 victory over South Bend St. Joe in the semifinals, held Lowell to 33 percent from the field and forced the Lady Red Devils into 21 turnovers. “That’s something we talked about in the pre-game, putting pressure on the ball,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter. “The girls did a nice job following the gameplan. The girls read the passing lanes so well, and it makes it difficult for teams to find the open person.” Warsaw had 14 steals against Lowell, led by senior Lindsay Baker’s five. On paper, both teams were 10-0. On the court, well, it didn’t look like it. Lowell scored the first bucket of the game before the Lady Tigers led 13-2 after one quarter of play, 24-10 at halftime and 40-18 at the end of the third quarter. The Lady Tigers are now 11-0 for the first time since 1989. Thursday also marked the first time since 2003 Warsaw won its own tournament. “This is good for our program,” said Harter. “These young ladies have worked hard since I took over as head coach (five years ago), and it’s nice to see their hard work pay off. This is big for our confidence.” Senior Jennifer Walker-Crawford led Warsaw offensively, finishing with a game-high 22 points. At the end of the third quarter, Walker-Crawford, who also grabbed seven rebounds, was leading Lowell 19-18 by herself. Baker added 17 points in the win. “It’s nice to see Jennifer and Lindsay playing the way they are as seniors,” said Harter. “When they play like that, it lets the other girls relax.” Junior Nikki Grose, who led the way with 13 points and 11 rebounds against St. Joe, was hampered by foul trouble against Lowell. She did, however, make all three shots she took and finished with six points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Walker-Crawford, Baker and Grose were all named to the all-tournament team. Joining them on the team were St. Joe’s Mary Freeby, Perry Meridian’s Cassie Baird and Lowell’s Katie Bobos. Perry Meridian beat St. Joe 73-46 in the consolation game. Against Warsaw, sophomore Hunter Jusevitch led Lowell with 11 points, while senior Carley Austgen and sophomore Sydney Barta added seven and five points, respectively. Bobos scored 24 points in the semfinal against Perry Meridian, but was held to two points by the Lady Tigers. SEMIFINAL WARSAW 51, ST. JOE 24 Much like the title game, the Lady Tigers trailed 2-0 early against St. Joe in the semifinal round. Warsaw closed the quarter with 13-straight points and opened the second stanza with seven unanswered points. The Lady Tigers led 30-4 at halftime and were never challenged by the Lady Indians. Warsaw shot 47 percent from the field, while St. Joe made just 24 percent of its attempts. To go with Grose’s 13 points and 11 rebounds, senior Melanie Holliday added nine points and three steals, while Baker and senior Gabby Monroy chipped in with eight points each. Freeby led St. Joe with eight points and six rebounds, while Nicole Przybyslawski added seven points and five rebounds.
SEMIFINAL WARSAW 54, ST. JOE 21 St. Joe – Nicole Przybyslawski 2-11 2-2 7, Catherine Raster 0-0 0-0 0, Mary Freeby 3-7 0-0 8, Nicole Francoeur 1-2 0-0 2, Emily Ferro 0-0 0-0 0, Mary Willemin 0-3 0-0 0, Samantha Flesh 1-2 0-0 2, Margaret Fangman 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Rozanski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-29 4-4 21. Warsaw – Sarah Ray 1-2 2-4 4, Courtney Farling 2-2 0-1 4, Vicki Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Melanie Holladay 2-4 5-5 9, Eryn Leek 0-1 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 2-8 2-2 6, Lindsay Baker 3-8 0-0 8, Brooklyn Harrison 1-4 0-0 2, Pam Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Nikki Grose 6-8 1-4 13, Gabby Monroy 3-5 2-2 8. Three-pointers – St. Joe 3 (Freeby 2, Przybyslawski), Warsaw 2 (Baker 2); Rebounds – St. Joe 29 (Freeby 6), Warsaw 20 (Grose 11); Turnovers – St. Joe 22, Warsaw 3; Fouls – St. Joe 15, Warsaw 11; Fouled out – none; Records: St. Joe 5-6, Warsaw 10-0
Consolation: Perry Meridian 73, St. Joe 46 Other semifinal: Lowell 60, Perry Meridian 53 All-Tourney Team – Jennifer Walker-Crawford (Warsaw), Lindsay Baker (Warsaw), Nikki Grose (Warsaw), Katie Bobos (Lowell), Cassie Baird (Meridian), Mary Freeby (St. Joe)
